Company Fined $44,000 for Illegal Everest Climb

Seven Summit Treks was fined $44,000 USD for guiding two climbers up Mount Everest without permits this year.

The permit the company had was for April 2017 and the climbers from 2018 were Australian Ian James Hibbert, and Xu Zhong Zhou of China, both experienced climbers.

Mingma Sherpa, an strong climber and chairman of Seven Summit Treks, said, “We don’t even think about doing such acts, as our company is the largest and pays millions of rupees in royalties to the government each season.”

He said the permit mix up was the result of a former ex-employee fudging the books to pocket extra money. Trekking companies sometimes charge up to $100,000 for a spring climb on Everest.

The Nepal police are currently investigating and those found guilty might spend time in prison. Last year, Seven Summit Treks had issues with Global Rescue.

Dan Richards of Global Rescue told Alan Arnette, “Seven Summits refuses to [notify them] and instead relies on their own Sherpas and helicopters to perform their rescue and transport missions. This is a direct conflict of interest, and given their business practices, not something we can be involved with.”

“Sadly, this type of controversy is not unusual in Nepal,” said Alan Arnette. “Corruption and bribes are common. It is well known that to get a climbing permit, it is customary to take officials to ‘lunch.'”